Dave Robinson kicks off Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club's season

Monday

Sep 11, 2017 at 4:25 PMSep 11, 2017 at 5:30 PM

Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Robinson goes old school in his talk to open the 55th season of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club

Jim Thomas CantonRep.com sports writer

CANTON TWP. Dave Robinson waited 39 years to get enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. The former Packers star wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since he last spoke to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club, except that it was before his enshrinement.

He was sure of one thing by the time he left the dais Monday after 40 minutes:

"Anybody who doesn't want to come and speak to this group is a fool," Robinson said in his closing remarks to members at Tozzi's on 12th. "The greatest fans, all-round, are right here."

Robinson was worth the wait as the first speaker for the Luncheon Club's 55th season. The former Green Bay and Washington linebacker went old school, conjuring up the ghosts of Vince Lombardi, Jim Parker, Ollie Matson, Ray Nitschke and Joe Perry as well as living legends such as Jim Brown, Gale Sayers, Paul Hornung, Jim Taylor and Bart Starr.

Robinson was at his best talking about Lombardi. The 76-year-old became a young man again in his 20s or 30s, animated and excited in reliving the glory days of Lombardi's Packers, who won NFL Championships in 1965-1967 and Super Bowls I and II.

Robinson was the last pick in the first round of the 1963 NFL Draft after an All-American career at Penn State, where he was a two-way end and kicked off. In his first training camp under Lombardi, Robinson was doing everything he could to make the 36-man roster.

"Jerry Kramer was having a hard time kicking the ball off inside the 20," Robinson said of Green Bay's offensive line great. "Vince said, 'I saw you kicked off in college.'"

Robinson told him he had but was working at his new position of linebacker, "and I want to be the best linebacker in the National Football League. Vince put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Son, your best chance to make this team is as a kicker.'

"I stayed 45 minutes after practice kicking off."

Soon Robinson, a lefty, did do some kicking off. Soon Lombardi came with more advice.

"He said, 'Dave, since you are kicking off and have a running start to the ball, you should probably be the first man down to break up the wedge,' said Robinson.

So he tries it.

"And there is no one around," Robinson said. "Bam! I was looking up at the sky. I'm seeing buzzards."

Robinson talked about 'Lombardi time.' That meant if the team meeting was at noon, your butt had to be in the seat at 11:45. Lombardi told his players if they woke up expecting to have flat tires or no gas and adjusted for that, "Then you'll never be late," Robinson said the coach reasoned.

The day before opening day one year, Robinson had diaper service issues at home and his car ran over a nail on the way to practice. He hustled his tail off and arrived 10 minutes before the start time and changed into his uniform.

Robinson was mindful of $50, much less $1,000. And for good reason. He said his first NFL contract was for $15,000. "The take home pay was $9,200. We only got seven paychecks a year."

Making the calls on the greatest quarterback and running back of all time were easy for Robinson, and good choices for the luncheon crowd. He said the only way to gauge quarterback greatness was against peer groups, not by generations, and "how many W's and how many championships.

"Bart Starr far outclassed those guys (like Joe Montana and Tom Brady). Bart Starr had five championships in seven years. But my pick? The guy who went to 10 championship games in 10 years, and won seven. That is domination: Otto Graham."

Robinson listed O.J. Simpson, Larry Csonka, Gale Sayers, Hugh McElhenny, Jim Taylor as candidates at running back. "But Jim Brown ... he could run, catch, pass and he could block, too," Robinson said. "He was the best all-around (back), he played all phases of the game."

That led to a last Lombardi story.

"Before Jim Brown's last game, the 1965 NFL Championship game in Green Bay, Vince called me into his office," Robinson said. "He said, 'Jim Brown has never outgained Jim Taylor in an NFL contest. Can you make sure he doesn't do it on Sunday?'

"I didn't know what to tell him," Robinson said to Caffey, who had a similar conversation with Lombardi.

"What did you tell him?" Robinson asked.

"I told Vince to go talk to Jim Taylor," Caffey said.

The Luncheon Club crowd roared with laughter.

Taylor outgained Brown 96-50 that day, the Browns failed to defend their NFL title and Robinson was on his way to winning three NFL championships, a spot in the Hall of Fame and, eventually, a second chance to speak to the Luncheon Club.

Next week's speaker will be Washington & Jefferson head football coach Mike Sirianni, a former star at Mount Union.

Reach Jim at 330-580-8336 or

jim.thomas@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @jthomasREP

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